The Future of Consumerist

Over the last twelve years, Consumerist has been a steadfast proponent and voice on behalf of consumers, from exposing shady practices by secretive cable companies to pushing for action against dodgy payday lenders. Now, we’re joining forces with Consumer Reports, our parent organization, to cultivate the next generation of consumer advocacy.

Stay tuned as Consumerist’s current and future content finds its home as a part of the Consumer Reports brand. In the meantime, you can access existing Consumerist content below, and we encourage you to visit Consumer Reports to read the latest consumer news.

Four days after the attempted Times Square bombing, a 64-year-old Indian-born Subway manager in North Chicago walked up to a 29-year-old Pakistani-born customer and said: “I heard you guys were recruiting more terrorists in New York. Are you one of them?”

The customer left the Subway and found a police officer, who wrote the manager a citation for disorderly conduct. A judge this week ordered the manager to pay a $75 fine.

“It’s not the money, but I don’t think it was a fair deal,” [the manager] said. “Are we not allowed in the world to talk anything to a guy?” […] “We all talk when something happens. We just kid around.”

“I was very surprised and shocked that people reacted this way,” said [the customer], who moved to Waukegan from Pakistan with his family when he was 14. “It was very upsetting, and I was very offended.” […] “I didn’t respond back even though I wanted to,” he said. “I contained myself, and I just left.”

The customer, who drove a taxi, was so upset about the comment that he quit his job and is now unemployed and depressed. Like any good American, he is considering a suit against Subway and the manager.